This despite the fact that the Hawks are currently looking for him after he failed to hand himself over last week following allegations that he was involved in tender fraud between the period of August 2016 and November 2018.

OFM News last week reported that the Hawks arrested Mqwathi’s two other co-accused in the matter, namely the Dihlabeng Local Municipality’s Municipal Manager, Busa Molatseli, as well as Tefo Montsitsi, who is the director of a company known as ‘Zero Tolerance’, said to have been unduly awarded the tender in question.

According to the Hawks spokesperson, Lloyd Ramovha, Mqwathi has now been on the run for six days. The Hawks are aware of the video of Mqwathi which is circulating on social media and are looking into tracing him.

pic.twitter.com/YEguOhGNwV

— Mncedisi Simon Mqwathi (@MqwathiSimon) May 24, 2019

Ramovha would not state whether or not they were in consultation with cell phone experts in their efforts to try and trace Mqwathi. In the video, he seems to somewhat be mocking those looking for him, as he then says “God is on his side”. In what sounds like a cryptic message, he then goes on to quote biblical scripture, saying he is unstoppable. He further says he cannot miss this moment, it’s a great moment and he is happy where he is, he says. It is, however, unclear what moment he is referring to in the clip. He further concludes by bidding strength and love to those watching the video. Mqwathi posted the video on Twitter on Friday and seems to question the fact that he is wanted by the Hawks. It seems he started this Twitter account on 24 May, two days after he failed to hand himself over. His last post on the social media platform was on Saturday, which is four days after the Hawks declared him a fugitive in an earlier interview.

Meanwhile, Ramovha said he could not speculate about Mqwathi’s intention with the video, whether or not it was to taunt the Hawks. He says only Mqwathi knows why he posted that video. Ramovha concludes by saying that if they find the municipal manager, he will face charges related to fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

Molatseli and Montsitsi, on the other hand, appeared at the Kroonstad District Court last week Wednesday and were each granted R10 000 bail with conditions. The case is remanded to 12 August 2019 for further investigations.

They form part of a group that was also earlier arrested on the same charges with regards to the tender in question. Two days before they were arrested, the Hawks had also arrested two senior executives from the Maluti-a-Phofung and Dihlabeng Local Municipalities, also on charges related to fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. The pair, Mavis Mabula (46) and Solomon Nyembe (47), appeared briefly before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court on the same day and were released on R10 000 bail each. They will reappear at the court on 13 June.

All the arrests the Hawks have made this week relate to alleged tender fraud related to a company known as Zero Tolerance, which was meant to provide protection and security services to the Dihlabeng Local Municipality in Bethlehem. "The company was later unduly appointed to render similar services at the Moqhaka Local Municipality. These services were allegedly procured without following the correct supply chain management processes in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, which resulted in irregular appointments, unauthorised, wasteful and fruitless expenditure amounting to over R35 million," Ramovha said in a statement.

OFM News